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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · cold · jam · degree · perch · object · temple · coach

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cold — not warm
  3. perch — the fish
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cold — an illness
  15. object — to protest
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. ground — a position
  20. degree — an amount
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ground — the earth
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com